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Quinn, Edward. "auto sacramental." Writer's Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 17 Apr. 2025. <http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=Gfflithem0074>.
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auto sacramental

Definition 
A type of drama performed in Spain on the feast of Corpus Christi from the 16th through the 18th centuries. Corpus Christi (body of Christ) is a Roman Catholic feast honoring the sacrament of the Eucharist, celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, which is 60 days after Easter Sunday. The auto, a one-act drama, featured mythic, allegorical, or historical characters; the action concluded with the manifestation of a Communion host and chalice. The aim of many of the autos was to draw analogies between secular stories of love and adventure and the divine mystery of the Eucharist.

Its greatest practitioner was Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600–81), who wrote more than 70 of these plays in his lifetime.

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